1973-74: Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP) launched to tackle drought-affected areas.

1977-78: Desert Development Programme (DDP) started in hot and cold deserts to address the problems of great stress.

1985: National wasteland Development Board (NWDB) set up.

1989-90: Integrated Wastelands Development Project (IWDP) begins, still under implementation.

1992: NWDB strengthened by creating full-fledged department of wastelands development.

1993-94: A technical committee set up under the chairpersonship of Prof C H Hanumantha Rao, Ex-member, Planning commission, to identify problems in DPAP and DDP.

1995-96: A common guideline on watershed comes into effect for DPAP, DDP, IWDP and Employment Assurance Schemes.

1999: An inter-ministrial meeting is held, and a sub-committee set up, to examine the convergence and commonalities in existing guidelines of watershed development projects of the ministries of agriculture and rural development.

2003: Hariyali